Legendary Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward will perform at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall at 8 p.m. Monday, April 13 in a special concert with guest artist Mike Dawes.
Having chalked up more than 50 years in the music and entertainment industry, Hayward has a voice that has been heard the world over. As the principal vocalist, lead guitarist and composer for the Moody Blues, Hayward and the band sold 55 million albums and received numerous awards, garnering both commercial and critical success. Within the entertainment industry, observers say, the Moody Blues are renowned as innovators and trailblazers who influenced numerous fellow artists.
Having started the ball rolling as a songwriter in his own right with a couple of solo singles, Hayward joined the Moody Blues in the summer of 1966. Hitting his stride immediately with the single “Fly Me High,” he followed it up with the classic hit songs “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon” from the seminal album Days of Future Past. The album went on to become a favorite of the NASA astronauts and was taken aboard the Atlantis shuttle spacecraft by chief astronaut “Hoot” Gibson on many missions.
When the Moody Blues took a break from touring in 1975, Hayward worked on the Blue Jays’ album, followed by the hit single “Blue Guitar.” Although the Moodies continued to record and tour, Hayward also found time to create several solo albums: Songwriter, Night Flight, Moving Mountain and The View From the Hill. Proving that he could write hits outside of the Moody Blues, he hit the Top Ten globally in 1978 with “Forever Autumn” – created for Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds album. In the 1980s, he was made a member of the famous Society of Distinguished Songwriters (SDOS) and in 2012 he was elected “King SOD.” In 1989, he collaborated with Mike Batt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra on the album Classic Blue.
In 2005, Hayward was presented with The Golden Note Award from ASCAP, the top honor for a British writer, and he has appeared in Nashville regularly with other songwriters in showcase events. He is consistently touring the globe with The Moody Blues and as a solo artist accompanied by Julie Ragins, and Mike Dawes, one of a new generation of young guitar players.
Tickets for Justin Hayward with guest Mike Dawes are available at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall and St. Augustine Amphitheatre box offices and all Ticketmaster outlets. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the concert beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $52.50 to $92.50. Visit www.pvconcerthall.com for more information.
